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BP protesters stage mock oil spill on steps of London's Tate Britain

June 29, 2010 | 11:25
am

No, the photo above isn't a scene from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It's a shot taken Monday at London's Tate Britain, where protesters have staged a mock oil spill to protest the gallery's acceptance of BP sponsorship.

According to reports from BBC News, a group called the Good Crude Britannia is demanding that the gallery cut its ties with the company over the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf. The group used a substance resembling oil to stage the mock spill, then covered the scene with bird-like feathers. (One report identified the thick black substance as molasses.)

BP has numerous ties with cultural institutions in the U.K. A recent article in the Guardian stated that the oil company has partnerships with the British Museum, the Tate galleries, the Royal Opera House, the National Portrait Gallery, the Almeida Theatre, the National Maritime Museum and the Science and Natural History Museums.

On Monday, the Guardian published a letter signed by numerous artists and cultural figures protesting BP's involvement with the Tate Britain. "These relationships enable big oil companies to mask the environmentally destructive nature of their activities with the social legitimacy that is associated with such high-profile cultural associations," stated the letter.